


Black Cat Crossing

by Neeko96



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alya Césaire Redemption, Bad Luck, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Hijinks & Shenanigans, It works because magic, Karma - Freeform, Lila salt, No Lila Rossi Redemption, Plagg admits to nothing, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26650408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neeko96/pseuds/Neeko96
Summary: It's a well known superstition that a black cat crossing one's path is a bad omen. It's just too bad Lila didn't want to believe it. It could also be the fact this particular Chat wasn't simply out for a stroll. Or the story where Adrien is tired of Lila treating Marinette badly and decides to deliver the karma.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 60
Kudos: 746





	1. Black Cat Crossing

**Author's Note:**

> Lila Salt is apparently popular so I decided to go ahead and post this right away despite just finishing one yesterday.

When Adrien entered the classroom he could almost sense the tension. He saw Lila had returned from her latest 'charity' thing and was crying. He knew it was probably crap, but what harm was she doing? That's what he was thinking until he noticed Alya's irritated back glance, and then a very somber Marinette sitting in the back. His stomach suddenly did a summersault as his mind pieced together the signs. As he sat down beside the Italian girl, he felt a tap on his shoulder. A simple side glance told him Nino was passing him a note. Ms. Bustier hadn't arrived yet, so it must be something if he felt it was better to write it down. The blond slid a little away from Lila as he quietly read the note while Alya and a few other girls comforted her. Only a minute later was he turning to Nino in absolute shock. "Seriously?" He whispered hoping the idle chatter and crocodile sobbing kept ears away from he and Nino.

"Yeah, dude, it happened right after I walked in."

Adrien turned back to the explanatory note to reread it. If he was understanding it right then Lila apparently tried her hand at designing, and showed Marinette only for her to ball it up and throw it in the trash right in front of the whole class. If he didn't know any better then he'd probably be comforting Lila too, but he knew better. Marinette would never do anything like that! He couldn't think of anyone more kind and caring than Marinette, and if Ladybug were in the running, it would probably be a tie. Adrien turned back to Nino. "So you heard the whole thing?"

Nino gave a nod. "Alya told me Lila was really looking forward to asking Marinette what she thought."

Adrien hid the eye roll he followed up with before turning to the girl. She was really eating up the attention the other girls were giving her. A few minutes later Ms. Bustier entered to start class and the girls dispersed. Lila didn't wait very long before latching onto him. Why were girls always so clingy? He'd been having problems with clingy girls for years, especially Chloe, but Lila felt different. It was all he could do to not shake her off immediately. He'd been taught to always be a gentleman so he endured, but it was harder to do when he felt so much anger boiling in his gut. He knew she'd done something to make that happen.

* * *

The entire class kept away from Marinette even after changing rooms. This had to be what Lila wanted. She'd been after Marinette in earnest ever since the framing incident. Before that, it was her covering her lies that Marinette tried to disprove. Ever since then, it was usually made up stuff to one up Marinette, or make her feel left out. They both knew she was lying so no real harm there, but this one? It was planned out. It had to be. All he had to do was talk to Marinette, and he'd be able to figure out exactly what happened. If only the rest of the class thought about that.

Marinette dragged her feet out of the science lab long after the rest of the class left. Adrien was able to snag her right out the door. "A-Adrien?" She wondered at his sudden appearance.

"Sorry to sneak up on you, but could you tell me what happened?" He asked with a slightly hushed tone. The last thing he wanted was a classmate to hear, and then get mad when Marinette's story contradicted what they thought. The young designer was pensive. Her eyes turned away from him quickly at the mention. "It's okay, Marinette. I know you wouldn't do something like that even to Lila. You're way too kindhearted, so it must've been something, right?" He side stepped to get into her line of vision while placing a hand on her shoulder. The gesture was supposed to be comforting, but she jumped for some reason. "Sorry, but... Please?"

Marinette took a good look around before letting out a defeated sigh. At least she was already aware Adrien knew about Lila. "What everyone saw this morning? It was half of what really happened."

Adrien raised a curious brow. He'd already had a feeling. Lila must've orchestrated it somehow. "So you really did throw her design away?"

Marinette's eyes started to water. "It wasn't her design..." Her voice was warbling as she reached up a hand to cut the tear forming in her eye. "I-It was mine... from yesterday. I drew it in the library after school..."

"So... she took it? Why didn't you tell someone?"

Marinette shook her head. "What would that have solved?" She countered as she took a breath. "Besides, I didn't know it was her until this morning. I had gone to get a book for our reading assignment, and when I came back to the table, I saw my sketch book on the floor. There wasn't anyone around to ask, and that sketch was a rough draft anyway." She wiped away another tear. "A-anyway, when she approached me this morning, asking 'What I thought about it' I didn't realize she was claiming it as hers. I thought she was rubbing the missing design in my face while pretending to give it back." Marinette practically spat as her breathing grew uneven. "I said it didn't matter and I already drew a better one, and then A-Alya yelled at me, and everyone else, a-and and..."

Adrien wrapped his arms around her as she broke down into tears. "I understand, Marinette, it's okay."

"N-no its not!" The designer cried with her head on his shoulder. Her emotional state couldn't even register that it was Adrien she was crying on. "I-I didn't e-e-even know what w-was going o-on!"

Adrien let out a sigh as he felt her arms around him. She was right. This wasn't okay. It never was okay to begin with. What was he even thinking? At least she didn't set Marinette up for a crime again? Sure, he was grateful, but was this any better!? Blind siding her, and giving her zero time to defend herself? Taking the strong front she tried to put on, and using it against her? Adrien decided to take this out of the hall and guided her to the empty classroom next door. He sat her down next him and continued to let her get her tears out. This was the first time Lila's antics had brought the young designer to tears, and that was only a testament to how strong Marinette was. How long had she been holding these tears in? "She set you up, I understand." He consoled while rubbing circles on her back.

"B-but you-" He pulled her away so he could look her in the eye. Hers were red and tearstained, but she didn't look away.

"Marinette, I believe you. I know Lila set you up, because I know you're not that kind of person. I know she is the kind of person who would lie to get her way."

"R-really?" She asked back sounding so unsure.

How could she be unsure about what he's telling her? He already told her before that he knew Lila lies. "Of course, Mari, and Lila shouldn't be allowed to get away with hurting you like this."

Marinette wiped a tear. "But you said before... You said trying to call her out on her lies wouldn't do anything."

Adrien inwardly cursed as he was reminded of his terrible advice. Sure, calling Lila out in the beginning wouldn't have really done anything, but the lies directed at Marinette? How could he expect her to just take it without defending herself? "I-I..." He was terrible friend... "I know." He finally started with a sigh. "And I know it was bad advice. I never imagined Lila's lies would get so out of hand."

"I suppose you were pretty new to school, huh?" Marinette mused with a forced smile that only made him feel worse.

"I was a total noob." He admitted as his pocket rang. He looked at his phone to see a message from his driver. "Ah... He's waiting outside for me..." He looked up to see Marinette wiping her face while still holding her forced smile.

"Don't keep him waiting, Adrien, I don't want you getting in trouble for my sake."

Adrien furrowed his brow. "But I don't want to just leave you-" He reached a hand back to her but she blocked it with her own.

"It's okay now, Adrien, really. Just the fact that you listened and believe me? It's enough, so go. I need to get going too." She grabbed her bag up and slid out of the desk. "Thank you, Adrien." She looked so happy when she said that, it was like a punch in the gut.

He could see what she hid under that forced smile. He understood what it felt like to be alone sure, but how much worse could it feel being alone while surrounded with people? He watched her walk down the hall through the windows while still nursing the gut punch her gratitude gave him. "I haven't done anything to deserve your thanks, Marinette... But I will." He resolved as he grabbed his bag again. He was going to make it his personal mission to keep Lila's lies away from Marinette. He'd tried to get Lila away the nice way as 'friends' but it was painfully obvious that didn't work more than once. If he wanted to keep her safe, he'd have to be more hands on.

* * *

When he returned back to school, it was right at the start of an Akuma attack. He didn't really know why the man was covered in pasta, or why he was fighting with a spoon instead of a fork, but ladybug was already on the scene with a plan. It took a surprising amount of time for the plan to really kick in, but when it did they had him without a fuss. The Akuma turned out to be, unsurprisingly, in the spoon and the pasta coated streets of Paris were cleaned with the Miraculous Ladybug Cure. "I don't get how he could be upset about that sauce, it was great." Chat mused as Ladybug held up her fist.

"Well, someone disagreed. Pound it." She responded with a smile. "I'll take care of him this time."

"Are you okay, Ladybug? Your eyes look a bit red." Chat pointed out since this was the first good look he'd gotten of her since the fight started.

"Oh uh, I just didn't get much sleep last night. Nothing major." She covered with a strangely familiar forced smile. "Oh well... I'll take care of patrol tonight then, Milady. Get some rest. We can't have Ladybug get exhausted or who would save Paris?"

She smiled at him. "I know a certain black cat who could give me a run for my money." She countered before gesturing to his ring. "Now hurry up. You only have two paw pads left."

* * *

"You need to be careful, kid." Plagg suddenly warned as the young model came out of the bathroom.

He was just about to start his solo patrol. "What? I think I can handle a solo patrol, Plagg." He defended.

"That's not what I mean. I'm talking about your emotions."

"My emotions?" Adrien parroted.

"Yeah, about Marinette."

Adrien instantly blushed. "We're just friends, Plagg."

Plagg smirked. "Never said you weren't. What I'm trying to warn you about though, is anger. You were getting pretty hot under the collar when you heard about what that Lila girl did. That's what's dangerous."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Like I'm not supposed to be mad when a friend is being targeted like that?"

Plagg crossed his arms. "Not if you're Chat Noir. I'm serious kid, anger is dangerous for my holders. The deeper the anger the more powerful my destruction can get. If you don't cool your head, we're gonna have some serious problems."

Adrien raised a brow though he looked irritated instead of curious. "So I can't be angry for Marinette?"

Plagg nodded but not before a sly smirk crossed his lips. "Yeah, but don't get me wrong. I understand what you're feeling. Lots of my holders have had a similar problem." He admitted with a wry tone.

"So? What did they do? You can't stop me from being angry at Lila. I'm going to do everything I can to protect Marinette from her from now on."

"Oh I'm not saying you can't, I'm just warning you it can have consequences... unless..." He trailed off and Adrien crossed his arms.

"Unless?" He repeated in order to get Plagg to continue.

"Well, unless we directed that anger into something else. I special sort of outlet just for my holders." The two of them looked at each other as if having a silent conversation for a few seconds.

"Well?" Adrien finally asked. "Get to the point Plagg, I know this is for cheese."

Plagg grinned. "Oh you know me too well, kid. Yes, I'll be needing a bit more cheese to make this work. This special outlet of mine will take the most dangerous emotions my holder feels, like anger and hate, and launch them back on the source. It's indirect so you don't have to do anything to make it happen. I just have to use some energy to activate the power, which is where the extra cheese comes in."

The blond thought about it for a moment. "So... what do you mean indirect, and what exactly does it do?"

Plagg gave him a Cheshire grin. "Well I'm not admitting to anything, but you ever wonder where people got the idea that a black cat crossing their path was a bad omen?" Adrien couldn't help the little smile that rose to his lips. He may have had a little inkling of guilt, but he had far more anger for the liar. Lila didn't deserve the high road, not any more.


	2. Pigeons and Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette takes a short trip to the nurses office with a certain blond guiding her way. This is immediately followed by Lila having some strange bad luck bad luck.=^-^=

"I saw Chat Noir last night." Lila bragged to the class's resident reporter. "No sign of Ladybug though. I hope nothing happened." The tone of her voice felt so fake to Adrien's ears, he almost covered them to block it out.

Plagg had told him he didn't have to do anything, but of course, Plagg likes to leave out details in the moment of cheese deals. In order to start the reaction Chat Noir would have to cross the person causing their negative emotions. That's why it was like the old myth though Plagg still refuses to acknowledge he had anything to do with the legend. The part that made it worth it aside from what was to come? That was Lila completely missing the point when he told her, "A black cat just crossed your path. You may be in for some bad karma." She thought he was joking! Of course it wasn't like he stuck around for a full conversation, but still. Watching her laugh was actually amusing in a way.

"So? Did he mention anything? I didn't hear about an Akuma last night." Alya responded as she checked her phone.

"No, nothing like that. He did saunter up to me with one of his cat puns. The look on his face made me think he was flirting, but I would never do that to Ladybug, so I ignored it." Lila explained with more information than was true... duh.

"What's with that grin, dude?" Nino asked as he watched Adrien's grin grow.

"Huh? Uh, nothing, just thought of something funny I heard Chat Noir say before."

"Uh-huh, so why do you look like you've got the ultimate prank planned?" Nino asked back able to tell his friend had something on his mind.

"Well, maybe I do?" Adrien shot back before both boys burst into laughter.

Ms. Bustier entered the room followed by a very flustered and out of breath Marinette. "Good morning, class. I hope you all finished your reading for last night." She declared before placing her bag down. "Because we're having a pop quiz on it first thing. Tablets out to receive the assignment." There was a small chorus of groans as the class followed the instructions.

Marinette was making her way up to her seat when she suddenly fell face forwards on the steps. "Oh my gosh, Marinette! Are you okay?" Lila asked with faux sympathy.

Adrien could see her pulling her bag strap out of the way as she kneeled down and narrowed his eyes. Seriously? She can't even wait a few minutes before doing something!? Had she always been causing Marinette accidents too? And here he'd only thought it was lying, but if it was this sort of thing too? "Hold on, Marinette." He called as he dashed around the desk to help her up. Lila hadn't moved to get up, though Adrien was thankful. It gave him the perfect reason to do so himself and keep Lila away.

"Ouch..." She groaned as she flinched upon putting weight on her left wrist.

"Don't stand up too fast." Adrien instructed as he pulled her up by her other hand.

"Th-thanks, Adrien."

"Marinette, will you need to go to the nurse's office, or do you think you're fine?" Ms. Bustier asked with a worried tone at seeing one of her students harmed.

"I think-" She flinched once again when she picked up her bag with her left hand.

"I'll take her to the nurse's office, Ms. Bustier. I really think she hurt herself." Adrien interrupted as he took her bag from her. "Don't try to move your hand, Marinette." He instructed as he gestured to the door.

"Alright then, that would be best. I'll hold your quizzes until you get back." Ms. Bustier informed as Adrien led her to the door. The young blond gave one last cold look from the corner of his eye before they were both out of the room.

* * *

It was about 30 minutes later that they both returned. Marinette had her left wrist wrapped while Adrien held onto the sling she refused to wear. When they entered the class it was a shock to find the front desk broken in half. Lila was sitting in Alya's seat while Alya sat near the back. "Uh... did we miss something?" Marinette asked as the teacher noticed them enter.

"Ah, well due to an accident, that desk will need to be replaced. Please just take a seat in the back with Marinette, Adrien." Ms. Bustier instructed as she gestured to the seats.

After class, Adrien was able to get the story out of Nino. "It was the weirdest thing, dude. We were all just taking our quizzes and it just snapped in half right where Lila was sitting."

"Yeah, you'd think she broke a mirror or stepped under a ladder. It was **that** kinda freaky." Alya added in while adjusting her glasses.

"It was terrifying really." A new annoying voice cut in. Adrien turned to see Lila wearing a distraught expression. "It was only fortunate you weren't sitting at the time too, Adrien."

Adrien forced a smile and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I was just lucky. Too bad about the desk though, I think I'll be fine sitting in the back until it's replaced." He then noticed Marinette making her way out to change classes. "Hold up, Marinette, I'll take your bag." He didn't wait to be excused before dashing over to her. Lila held back her annoyance while Nino and Alya traded knowing expressions.

* * *

After classes were over, Lila quickly moved to cut off Adrien before he could go to Marinette. She didn't know why, but he'd been stuck to her like glue all day. "Could you help me with my bag please, Adrien? My wrist has really been bothering me since lunch."

The blond used all his will power not to roll his eyes at her. "Uh, sorry, Lila, but I promised to walk Marinette home, and hold her bag. She only hurt her wrist this morning, so she needs to be more careful with it." He then walked right around her, but felt a tug on his arm.

"It doesn't look like she's asking for help to me. She looks perfectly fine." Lila gestured to the young designer who was already pulling her bag up with her right arm.

"And so does your wrist. Glad to see it doesn't hurt as much as I thought." Adrien countered looking down at the arm she used to hold him. He pulled a little more to be released and went back to heading for Marinette.

Lila scowled for only a moment before a smile forced its way through. She spotted Alya who was walking down from the back desk with Nino. "Adrien is just so kind to be helping others like that even though he barely has any free time."

"Dude's got a heart of gold." Nino agreed adjusting his hat.

"Yes, I'd hate to be a bother on him if I could help it." Lila continued just a little louder. "His schedule is just so full after all." Adrien could feel his eye twitch at her voice, which was practically announcing Marinette was horrible for letting him help her. He felt a pat from within his shirt and willed himself to keep going. He didn't need to do anything at all.

* * *

The very next day, Ms. Bustier ushered all but three of her students to the library for a short study hall. Adrien, and Marinette needed to do their quizzes, and Lila too, but she didn't mention why. "Please begin. All of the desks have been checked so we shouldn't have any further problems with them breaking, Lila."

Adrien found the questions simple. From what he could see of Marinette she was thinking hard on her answers. Lila looked annoyed from where he sat. Maybe she made some big deal about taking a quiz in an unsafe place and thought she'd gotten out of taking it? Of course not! He could feel himself grinning as he wrapped up his quiz to submit. Ms. Bustier could see his submission from her own tablet and ushered him to the library to wait with the others. "Yo, dude." Nino called quietly from a table he shared with Alya, Kim and Alex.

"What's wrong?" He wondered as the DJ cued up a video on his phone.

"You're not gonna believe this. You totally missed it yesterday." Alix was trying not to laugh just thinking about it.

"It's really not that funny." Alya whispered looking like she wanted to laugh despite her words.

"What?"

"Just watch, dude." Nino turned the phone to show him. "Alya was using my phone for her blog."

The video started to show Alya making an intro. "Hey, Ladybloggers! I'm here with Lila Rossi who had an interesting run in with everyone's favorite black clad cat hero Chat Noir! There was no akuma, and so it has me thinking, anyone else out there have a random run in with Chat Noir?" She then turned the camera to Lila so she could recount her story. Right as she opened her mouth a flock of pigeons suddenly swarmed her. "Eeeeeekkkk!" "Oh my gosh! Nino!" The camera shook as Alya's arm entered the frame to help shoo the birds away. Nino next entered trying to hit them away with his hat. The shaking camera went on for another minute before the true target of the birds was revealed. The small flock was now attempting to abscond with her bag.

"So, why were those birds trying to steal her bag?"

Nino put the phone away. "We think it was the granola bar wrapper that fell out of her bag after that, but I don't know."

"Seems kinda much for one little wrapper right?" Kim asked as he nudged Alix.

"Heck yeah, but priceless." She mused finally calming her laughter.

Adrien did well to hold in his own laugh. It came as more of a grimace which Alya took as sympathy. "It really was terrible. I'm glad she was fine afterwards, but still..." She traded a glance with Nino.

"Yeah, it is really crazy. Two weird incidents in one day, huh?"

Adrien had a strong feeling he knew what it was, but he wasn't about to admit it. "Well, everyone has bad days right?"

"...Sure, I guess." Nino responded feeling something off about his friend. "Looks like Marinette's done." He next pointed out after seeing her walk in.

Adrien turned and walked over to her. "How do you think you did?"

Marinette gave him a modest smile. "I'm hoping I did good. I spent extra time going over the readings last night just in case." She then took a look around the library. "Ms. Bustier told me to come get everyone else back to class."

"So Lila's done too then?" Adrien wondered as he turned back to the others to wave them over. Marinette quietly nodded when he turned back. "Something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing!" Marinette looked a little too sure which screamed the opposite. He took her hand and walked her further away. "Did Lila say something to you?" He asked once the others were out of ear shot.

Marinette held up her hands in front of herself. "N-no... not really..."

Adrien crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "Which means she did, didn't she?" Marinette turned her head away and started playing with her hair. After waiting another few seconds the blond realized she wasn't going to say any more. It didn't really matter at this point though, he knew Lila said something to Marinette, and he knew it wasn't good. The very fact she wouldn't tell him, also meant it wasn't something she liked to talk about. That was enough.

"You two coming?" Nino called as the rest of the class was already grouped and heading out.

"Yeah, come on, Marinette." He took her hand to guide her along. Blushing was about all she could do in response as she followed.

It was just after the first few students got to the room when the ear piercing scream tore through the hall. All the students quickly moved to the railing to see the source. "Holy crap! Is that Lila?" Kim called out in bewilderment.

"I'm more concerned about that machine." Max cut in adjusting his glasses. The entire scene was something out of a B comedy. Lila was backing away from a coffee dispenser trying to block the massive spray of the lukewarm liquid. The grounds keeper was the first one to step in as he took Lila in a towel.

Adrien saw the whole thing and grew worried. If this was Plagg's bad luck at work, maybe it was going too far? "I know I shouldn't laugh, but..." Marinette started before giggling a bit at the other girl's expense. "I did warn her the machine was having problems."

Adrien raised a brow at her expression. "Nah, looks like it's fine."

Marinette gave him a confused expression. "What?"

"Huh? Oh, not that, sorry." Adrien apologized with a hand on the back of his head.

* * *

"So what'd I tell ya, huh? Perfect right?" Plagg bragged as he dashed to the private fridge. "I told you it would make a great outlet."

Hearing that made Adrien remember that little bit of guilt he had. "Yeah well..." He ran a hand through his hair. "It feels like a bit much to be honest. How far can this bad luck go?"

Plagg looked over the fridge door. "Are you really worried about that Lila girl? What about pigtails?"

"Of course I'm worried about Marinette way more, I just don't want Lila to really get hurt."

Plagg rolled his eyes with a sigh. "You're way to nice, kid, you know that?"

Adrien crossed his arms. "I know Marinette wouldn't want someone getting hurt for her sake too."

"Yeah, cause she's way too nice as well. Geez..." The kwami snatched up some cheese and closed the door. "The bad luck isn't something that can be directly controlled once it starts, but your intention can play a small part. This is supposed to be an outlet for negative feelings for my holders after all. What kind of feelings you feel can manipulate what kind of bad luck is passed on. Of all my past holders, this ability has only resulted in death twice before. The first time had lots of extra circumstances you don't need to worry about it. I can say for a fact it won't happen. The second time was because a bad luck accident caused the victim to be arrested. Prisons back then weren't so nice." Plagg then shrugged again. "So no worries, kid."

Adrien didn't seem so sure. While it was good to know she wouldn't die, he hadn't even thought of it going that far. He was worried of serious injury. Any one of the accidents so far could have hurt Lila even if they seemed harmless at the time. "Sure, Plagg, but just in case, how do we end this bad luck?"

Plagg narrowed his eyes. "Remember, kid, this is supposed to be an outlet for your negative energy. We can't just stop it. It could be way more dangerous for you to hold it in."

"I just want to know... just in case." Adrien insisted as Plagg prepared to eat his cheese.

The kwami held off for a moment. "Well, the obvious way is to stop feeling any negative feelings." He let out a sigh and swallowed his cheese whole. "Course I don't expect that. If you're really that worried, kid, Ladybug will be able to fix it. Her kwami is the one who can cancel it out." He finished just before burping obnoxiously.

"Ladybug's? Is it because you guys are opposite?"

"Duh. Bad luck's opposite is good luck. Why do you think her ability is called 'Lucky Charm'? Anyway, you're worrying over nothing, kid. As far as I can see, that Lila girl is overdue for some prime bad luck." Especially considering how much good luck she'd have if she was nicer to Marinette. Plagg found the irony amusing as he thought about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to put up the second part yet, but I'm still super pumped from the New York MLB special! (Best part, and a minor spoiler, Lila wasn't in it! Well... Maybe a couple minutes at the start.)=^-^=


	3. Karmic Pencil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a test, someone falls, a pencil is broken and Marinette is in a sling.=^-^=

The entire class stampeded out of the room the moment the odd creature popped out. "Was that a skunk!?"

"As if I'm sticking around to find out!?" Shouts and voices were drowned out even as the students massed around the windows.

"What's going on?" Marinette asked as she reached the top of the steps. She'd been running late, but not late enough for class to be over.

"Huh? Hey, Marinette." Nino greeted as he turned to see her. "This? We think a skunk popped out of Lila's bag."

"A skunk!?" The designer parroted as she jumped up to get a view over the students in front of her.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure. Kim saw it first and then all I saw was a black and white furry creature. I don't know who said skunk, but I wasn't sticking around, you know?" Marinette looked bewildered to say the least. Sure, Lila had had a real run of odd luck the past week, but a skunk?

"Excuse me!" A shout went over the excited mutterings of the class. All eyes turned to an older student holding a cat crate. "Anyone here seen a ferret? I've been looking all morning, and with all the shouting I thought maybe he'd popped up in the class here."

"Does it look like a skunk?" Kim asked while Max shook his head.

"Just because they are in the same family does not make them that similar, Kim."

The older student gave a shrug. "I don't know about a skunk. My ferret is black. He really likes strong smells, but usually things like perfume, not garbage."

"Hey, so is this yours?" Adrien appeared in the doorway holding a black furry creature with a spiky white stripe down its back. "I took another look, and I really don't think it's a skunk."

"Maverick!" The student called in surprise. "What happened to you?"

Adrien handed over the ferret with a smile before showing his white stained hand. "Seems to be paint."

"Maybe he ran through the cafeteria bathrooms? Didn't they just repaint those?" Marinette suddenly remembered from one of her student council meetings.

"Maybe?" The student looked over his painted pet with a grimace. "I just hope it's easy to clean off." He then placed his pet inside the crate so it wouldn't cause any more craziness. "Thanks for the help, and sorry about Maverick. He's had all his shots so if anyone was worried, he's clean."

"I'm just glad it wasn't a skunk." Alix mused as she jabbed Kim in the side. "Right?"

"This whole thing is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!" Chloe chided as she checked her nails. "What kind of school lets a rodent like that inside?"

"Mrs. Medeleve is having senior students do a domesticated animal survey." Max informed as he looked through his phone. "Ferrets are common pets." Chloe just rolled her eyes and walked back into the room.

Inside, Lila was already picking up her things which had flown everywhere when Maverick made his appearance. White paint was all over her bag and many of its contents. "Oh, Lila... your bag is ruined." Rose lamented as she kneeled next to the poor Italian.

"I can't believe all that even happened." Alya added in as she gathered up her tablet to hand to Lila.

"Well, at least that poor animal was okay. I can always get another bag since I know the designer." Lila bragged while looking torn up.

"Wow really!?" Rose fell for the bait and was quickly followed by a few of the other girls. Marinette rolled her eyes as she walked past. She didn't want to get involved. Even if she did feel bad about what happened to her, Lila was already eating up the attention. She didn't intend to give her more.

"Stuff like this has been happening a lot recently hasn't it?" Julika muttered as she handed Lila a notebook.

"You're right!" Rose agreed. "This week has been really weird."

Alya rubbed her chin in thought. "You know... it has been, but more so for Lila than anyone. All the weird stuff has happened around Lila after all."

"Yeah, I'll say. Didn't she get splashed by a puddle yesterday and it hadn't even rained?" Nino asked thinking back on how odd it was. "Not to mention all the other stuff, way back until last Monday when the desk broke."

Alya nodded before looking back at Marinette. She hadn't really talked to her friend since that incident with Lila's design. She'd really hoped Marinette would have apologized by now, but from what she could tell, the designer was actively avoiding Lila. Then she noticed Adrien sitting next to her. Even after the desk was replaced, the blond remained in back beside Marinette. The two of them had been spending a lot of time together for the past week. It's something she'd be ready to cheer for if this whole thing with Lila wasn't in the way. Now that she thought about it, however, these incidents... they seem to get in the way of Lila and Marinette interacting. If she thought about what Lila had been doing right before the ferret came out... She was trying to get Adrien to move back to the front! So could Marinette be actually causing these things? No... Most of them are way too weird to actually be planned. The pigeon incident or the paper plane in the cafeteria were so coincidental they were practically natural disasters.

* * *

Adrien waited patiently for Marinette to return after lunch. He'd over heard a particularly nasty plot from Lila as she cried out to the girls in class. Marinette had looked at her latest work and torn it to shreds so bad you couldn't even tell what it was. She was now crying in the front row with Rose, and Alya at her sides and several other students looking at her with sympathetic eyes. Why was she still out to get Marinette? Heaven knows since Marinette has been avoiding her. Adrien had been doing everything in his power to keep Marinette away. It was like Lila just couldn't leave her alone since she didn't believe her lies and faun all over her or something. Was her recent string of bad luck just not phasing her? Didn't she realize that every time she'd hurt or tried to hurt Marinette that something weird happened? You'd think having a trained parrot drop a banana peel on your head would be some kind of sign. A funny but obvious sign. Nope, not for Lila. It just made the young model's blood boil. How could anyone be that vindictive? When he finally noticed Marinette coming up the steps he quickly made his way to the front of the room hoping to intercept her and the girls. What he didn't expect was to see Marinette's arm wrapped up and in a sling. "Marinette? What happened?"

The young designer blushed at his attention and gave a sheepish smile. "It's nothing all that bad, really."

"Marinette, your arm is in a sling. You refused to wear one before when you twisted it." Adrien pointed out as he gently took her injured hand. It was the same one she'd injured before. "So what happened?" He asked as he took her bag for her.

"Right when I got home for lunch I caught a pan Papa knocked off the counter. It was a cast iron one so it was heavier than I expected. Anyway, my parents wouldn't let me come back today unless I promised to wear the sling, and I didn't want to miss the test." She explained while trying to play it down as much as possible. Of the two, only Adrien noticed the slight scowl on Lila as they passed her. No doubt she was angry at being thwarted in her plan. Several of the students who looked angry now had eyes of sympathy for Marinette who bore the obvious injury.

* * *

"Lila, please stay and finish the paper exam. The rest of you are dismissed." Ms. Bustier announced with the bell. Adrien moved to grab Marinette's bag before she could herself.

"H-Hold on, Adrien. You don't have to. I know you have fencing today."

He held the bag out of her immediate reach and shook his head. "I really don't mind, Marinette. Just let me help you." He gestured for her to go first. "I have enough time before fencing to walk you home. Didn't I prove that last week?"

Marinette blushed as she adjusted her purse which she grabbed before Adrien could. "I... I suppose." She gave him a sheepish smile while trying to keep herself calm. She'd been doing much better when talking to him, but the way he was fawning over her wrist since lunch was frying her nerves. Marinette began down the steps of the aisle as Lila scowled at her paper. It was an outrage they didn't have a spare tablet! Who does paper tests in this day and age!? She glanced at the annoying designer as she walked by and had a stroke of genius. Maybe paper wasn't so bad? She began erasing something on her test and knocked her extra pencil to the floor right as Marinette walked by. Just as she predicted, the injured girl stepped on it and instantly fell back.

What she didn't predict was how Adrien would be so quick to catch her. He slid himself between her and the steps and now held her by her waist protectively. "Whoa! Are you okay Marinette?" He asked as he sat up with her in his lap. Marinette blushed a whole new shade of crimson as she nodded wordlessly.

Lila felt her eye twitch as she snapped the pencil in her hand. That would've been perfect! If Adrien hadn't been there it would have been perfect! Why was he so attached to her!? She cursed the luck of that annoying Marinette as she was left as the only student in class. She looked at the pencil and growled. Now she didn't even have a proper pencil to finish the test with!

* * *

Ladybug bumped fists with her partner as the Miraculous Cure swept the streets of Paris. Mr. Pigeon struck again, and so aside from Chat's horrible allergy, it wasn't a hard fight. "Is your wrist alright, Milady? I thought you hurt it when you swung off that tree." Chat asked as he looked at his ring.

Ladybug rubbed her left wrist carefully. "Yes, I was just worried I'd miss. I'm fine." Though it did hurt. It was lucky her transformation strengthened her body so she could still use it, but it didn't heal it.

Chat looked at her wrist a moment before grinning. "Well, if you're sure, Bugaboo." He said with a flirty tone before pulling his staff out.

"Not going to ask to spend time with me? We both still have a few minutes."

Chat's ears went down. "Uh... Well, today I need to go check on someone. Don't worry, Milady I'd still love to spend time with you. I will always be your knight in black leather." He leaned in close and Ladybug leaned away.

"Don't keep them waiting on my account. I was just curious anyway." She then pulled out her yo-yo and swung away. When she reached her home she went in through her window and transformed back. Instantly her wrist pain flared up again and Tikki rushed to grab the sling she was supposed to be wearing.

"Here, Marinette. You need to keep it relaxed so it'll heal."

Marinette didn't put up a fuss as the kwami helped her put it on, and then pulled a cookie from a jar on her desk. "Thanks, Tikki."

"And thank you, Marinette." The kwami happily dug in as Marinette sat back in her desk chair.

A rapping at her window startled her away from her homework. Tikki was out of sight before Marinette even realized it was Chat Noir. "Chat?" She asked as she lifted the latch with her good hand.

"Hey, Princess. Just thought I'd drop in to check on you."

"Check on me?" She asked as she let him come down into her room.

"Yeah." He looked around a bit before looking at her. "I heard there was a weird run of bad luck with this Lila girl. I remembered she goes to your school, so I dropped by to make sure you were okay. Did that happen at school?" He pointed to her sling.

"Oh... no this happened in the kitchen. I tried to catch something and didn't realize how heavy it was." Marinette explained looking embarrassed about the injury.

Chat noted she never mentioned it being hurt before. Marinette really was the type to stop others from worrying about her. "Really? You really should take more pur-cautions, Princess." He scolded teasingly at her.

She rolled her eyes with a smile at his pun. "Yes, Chat Noir, believe me I know. My parents already gave me an earful. I promise to wear the sling until otherwise instructed." The designer proclaimed with a serious tone before breaking into a giggle. She was happy there were so many people worried about her, but now Chat Noir was joining in? Maybe Adrien wasn't over reacting before after all. When Chat didn't say anything she waved a hand in front of his face. "Chat Noir?"

"Huh?" He snapped to with a start. "Oh... Sorry, Marinette." He rubbed the back of his head and turned back to the window. "Anyway, now that I've confirmed you are fine, I should get a move on. Don't want any misunderstandings if your dad pops in." He climbed out and gave a two finger salute before jumping away.

Marinette watched curiously before locking the window and stepping back down. "So I was the one he needed to check on?" She mused aloud with a chuckle at the irony. Chat left Ladybug to see Marinette aka Ladybug.

"Chat must have been really worried if he blew off Ladybug to see you." Tikki stated as she wiped the crumbs from her face.

"Yeah, but did he seem a little distracted to you?"

Tikki gave a knowing side glance and nodded. "Yeah, but he could've just been worried about your dad. He was Akumatized because of Chat Noir, even if Chat didn't mean to do it."

"True." Marinette agreed looking bothered. "It was also weird he knew about those incidents in school too though. Alya never posted that pigeon video to the blog after all, and all of the other things happened inside school." Or close enough most people wouldn't know aside from students and staff.

"True, so..." Tikki trailed off as she thought of something.

"Tikki?"

The kwami turned to her with a wave of her paw. "No, it's probably nothing. Chat Noir's kwami is the scion of destruction. He can probably feel the bad luck." The kwami then wore a teasing grin. "Just like you felt that good luck when Adrien caught you today."

"Tikki!" Marinette whisper scolded as her face flushed with the memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I watch too many old cartoons and her tablet fried during the test. It messed up because she was splashed with water before.  
> =^-^=


	4. Bad Luck's Fail-safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya gets a clue, Plagg gets in trouble and Marinette is far too nice for her own good.

The next two weeks at school were peaceful. Only two in the building knew why, but everyone else just took it as things calming down. "Lila sent me a picture from the refugee camp she's helping to fund-raise for." Rose exclaimed as she entered the room. Alya immediately went over to look while Adrien rolled his eyes in the back of the room.

The peace was gone. He couldn't help lamenting it internally. Even when she wasn't around, Lila still found a way to have the class fawning over her. He looked over to his right to see Marinette's empty seat. "She must be running late again."

"She usually is." He turned to see Alya suddenly right next to him. The expression on her face told him it wasn't a simple hello. "Can I talk to you about something before she gets here?"

"Sure, Alya. What's up?"

Alya pulled a crumpled up paper from her back pocket. "It's about Marinette and Lila."

It took everything Adrien had not to frown at the mention. "Lila? But she's been gone for the last few weeks."

Alya nodded. "Yeah, and I was hoping Marinette would work out her issues with Lila right away but well..." She sighed. "Anyway, could you maybe help? I've been holding onto the design Marinette threw away while waiting for her to come around. I thought it would be easier if I could give Marinette the design so she could return it with an apology."

Adrien let out a sigh. He knew Alya was just trying to be helpful. She didn't hate Marinette, they were best friends after all. He just wished she wasn't so blind. Heck the whole class was blind really. He then took the sketch and unfolded it. The practiced lines were obviously done with a skilled hand, which only made Lila's story even more ridiculous. Even people with a talent don't start being good on their first try. His fingers brushed over the uneven edge of the paper as he thought back to what Marinette told him. "Before I help, can you tell me something? When did Lila draw this?"

The question was a bit surprising, but Alya didn't see any harm. "Uh... hmm, it's been about a month, but if I remember right, Lila said she sketched it on the plane home from that charity with Prince Ali."

Adrien couldn't help the slight smirk at hearing that. "On the plane huh?" There was no way Lila could work around this. "Alright, I'll help you out with the problem between Marinette and Lila. When Marinette comes in, I'll bring it up. It'll probably be better if we're both here to talk to her though." The blond reasoned with a smile.

"Sure, thanks, Adrien." Alya was relieved Adrien decided to help. She really missed talking with Marinette, and the last few times she tried... it got awkward.

"Alya?" She turned to find Marinette just a few feet away holding her bag pensively.

She leaned around to see Adrien who waved her over with a small smile. "Come on, Marinette, Alya and I want to talk to you about something." The young designer sat down in her new normal seat without a word. Adrien could see how tense she was. The air between them has been tense for weeks, especially when Nino wasn't around. "Before I start, can I see your sketch book?" Adrien winked at Alya as a sign he was starting. The reporter nodded as she stood by him to look over and join in with support.

"Uh, sure, Adrien..." She pulled it out and the model slid it over to his side of the desk.

"Alya was just reminding me of this issue you had with Lila and a design. I know how important your designs are to you... that was when again?"

Alya took a moment to count. "The 9th, I'm pretty sure."

Adrien looked at the dates on the sketches to find the page he was looking for. "Right, and so you more than anyone know how it's terrible for someone to mess with your designs." Marinette took in a sharp breath as she turned away from them. Adrien wasn't trying to upset her, but he knew this needed to be done. "Here we go. Alya feels you should apologize to Lila for throwing her design away." Though Adrien was addressing Marinette, he was looking at Alya. His smile was gone, and it was replaced with a cold gaze. Alya was confused as he showed the torn stub left from a missing page. He then pulled the crumpled sketch out and placed it in the gap. The edge matched perfectly. "After all, you and Alya are friends. You shouldn't let a little misunderstanding stand in the way." Alya's confusion fell away as she finally realized Adrien wasn't actually talking to Marinette. "You know each other better than anyone right?"

"T-that's..." Alya started before the horror finally hit her. She knew that was the same sketch Lila had shown her before. She'd grabbed it immediately after Marinette threw it away so there's no possible way it was changed. She took a step back before rushing out of the room as if being chased by a demon of some kind. Adrien watched not entirely surprised. If it worked out, then Alya will understand, and if it didn't? Well, Alya has enough sense to see reason. He shouldn't have to worry about it.

He then turned around and placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "It's okay, Marinette, I know how it sounded, but I was just showing Alya something." Marinette turned to him looking torn and possibly close to tearing up. "I promise, Mari. You know I'll believe you no matter what." He gave her a smile and she nodded before taking a calming breath.

"Yes... I know." She smiled back genuinely and he felt the peace return.

* * *

Tikki dashed into Adrien's bag about halfway through class. She was sure everyone's attention was on the front so she wouldn't get caught. "Plagg!" She whisper yelled as she dug through the boy's bag. "Get out here! I know what you did!"

The grumpy kwami popped out of an inner pocket in surprise. "S-Sugar Cube... Uh, how's it going?"

Tikki scowled at him. "You used your bad luck charm on Lila didn't you?"

Plagg looked anywhere but at the red kwami. "What? What would give you that idea?" Tikki gave him a dead pan stare for about a minute before he cracked. "Okay fine! Yes, but you know why I did it. My chosen are dangerous when they get really angry, and that Lila girl was getting the kid all riled up. I had to do it for his safety." Plagg explained with his paws in a begging position. "You understand right, Tikki? That girl needed some karma! Did you want her to keep abusing your chosen?"

Tikki rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Of course not, but did you tell him the risks?"

"I told him about the two times things went bad when he asked. Besides, you can stop it if it gets out of hand. Plus, Marinette is enjoying the extra good luck isn't she?"

Tikki couldn't stop the smirk that rose to her face. The luck was coming out as lots of extra time with Adrien, and Marinette was over the moon. She didn't know it was the effect of the converse good luck, but she didn't really need to. "Okay, but what about everyone else? What if someone gets caught up in the bad luck?"

Plagg waved it off. "You worry too much. Those other kids are figuring it out." Tikki raised a brow. "Okay, maybe they aren't actually avoiding her yet, but they are noticing her weird string of bad luck. I'm sure it'll work out." He placated with a confident expression.

Tikki rolled her eyes again. "I'm going to tell my chosen about this, and if she wants to end it, it will end."

Plagg scoffed. "As if she'll want Lila to have good luck."

"Don't underestimate her, Plagg." Tikki countered but Plagg still didn't look worried.

* * *

"Chat Noir is causing it!?" Marinette questioned a little too loudly even for her room.

"Shh! Calm down, Marinette." Tikki implored as she looked towards the hatch door. "Yes."

Marinette looked bewildered but took a calming breath. "How? I thought his power was destruction?"

Tikki sat down on the desk when she didn't hear any steps approaching. "Yes, but he can also wield bad luck. Remember, he and I are opposites. Creation for destruction, so good luck for bad luck."

"My Lucky Charm?" Tikki shook her head.

"Not quite. It's not really an ability like that. Both he and I have passive abilities that let us influence karma. Plagg will deny it, but he's the reason why black cats crossing your path mean bad luck. In order to activate his ability he needs to cross a target person's path. Previous Chat Noirs have used this ability as an outlet for negative emotions."

Marinette raised a brow. "So what? Magical stress relief?"

"You could call it that." Tikki agreed with a shrug. "It's dangerous for Plagg's chosen to get too angry or depressed, so Plagg will sometimes share this ability since it redirects the energy of the negative emotions. It's saved dozens of previous holders to be sure." Marinette still looked surprised about the whole thing. Why would Chat Noir go that far? Sure, she knew Lila had interfered and even caused several akumas but so has Chloe even if she didn't actually mean to. "I want you to understand, Marinette, although there were extenuating circumstances, this ability has caused people to die."

The designer brought her hands over her mouth with a gasp. "Lila could die!?" Her surprise was panic for all of 2 seconds before she became serious and calm. "No, Tikki, how do we stop it?"

Tikki smiled up proudly at her chosen. Lila was terrible to her, and yet she was still worried about her. "Well, if Chat Noir stops feeling negative emotions for her then it will stop, but you can make it permanent." Tikki went over to a stack of paper and pulled one out along with a pen. "You see, my passive ability is good luck, like I said earlier. When transformed, it's concentrated in the suit to be released with your Lucky Charm, and Miraculous Cure abilities. While wearing my Miraculous as a civilian, however, it extends around you. It's for this same reason that Chat Noir having strong negative emotions is bad." She drew out a stick figure with some wavy lines and a few other stick figures near them. "The bad luck will come out around Plagg's chosen the same way. That's why I can't really fault Plagg for doing it. Whenever he does, I leave it up to my Ladybug to decide to stop it."

Tikki gave her a sad look and Marinette pat her head with her fingers. "I understand, Tikki, but I don't get this." She pointed to the picture. "I'm a total klutz out of the suit, and I mess things up all the time." Adrien's birthday for example...

Tikki smiled and pointed to the picture. "Well, like I said, it extends around you. When you give off positive emotions as Marinette, those feelings give good luck to the people around you that cause those feelings."

Marinette's eyes widened at that. "I'm giving people good luck?"

Tikki nodded. "Yup, you're a walking good luck charm to your friends and loved ones. This balance is why mine and Plagg's chosen are always in the same place. There can't be too much bad luck or good luck in one place."

"To keep the balance right?"

"Uh-huh, and that's why if you want to stop it, it has to be as Marinette. It's not all that complicated, but it can be depending on the situation."

"What do you mean by that?" Marinette asked before it dawned on her. "Wait... I don't like Lila."

"Exactly, and to counter Plagg's ability on her you have to sincerely wish her good luck."

The designer let her head drop to the desk. "That's impossible! I really don't want her to get hurt, but I doubt I could sincerely wish her anything good!"

Her groaning was expected. Tikki didn't care for her either, but she knew what to do. "You can help it out with a catalyst." Marinette looked up. "Create something while thinking of giving her that luck. It'll be easier if she's not right in front of you. Then give it to her and wish her good luck. Even if your feelings falter a bit, the item should dispel Plagg's bad luck as long as she accepts it." Tikki watched as Marinette mulled it over.

She didn't look completely convinced but she eventually nodded. "I will at least try. Even if Lila is a terrible person, she doesn't deserve to get hurt or..."

"I know Marinette, so let's get to work."

* * *

Chat Noir sat quietly on a beam of the Eiffel Tower. Ladybug had called to meet instead of patrol, and he was hoping for something more romantic. He really should have known better. "Chat Noir, I'm not mad at you." Ladybug crouched down to sit next to him. "Tikki explained how it worked, and I know you did it for all the right reasons."

Chat glanced at her with a weak smile. "I just didn't want to watch Marinette be targeted like that. I wanted to keep her away you know? Plagg assured me it wouldn't get out of hand."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "And Plagg wasn't lying to you. The power itself doesn't, but sometimes consequences go farther than we see. I don't want anyone's blood on your paws, Kitty."

Chat smiled more as he looked at his lady. "I understand Ladybug, and... wait... did you just make a cat pun?"

Ladybug nodded with a teasing smirk. "Yes, do you feel better? If I'm gonna fix this, I don't want you getting all depressed on me, Kitty." She popped his bell and stood up. "Besides, I'm sure if Marinette knew what you did for her, she'd be thanking you Chaton. Just do me a favor?"

"Anything, Milady." Chat responded as he stood up as well.

"Next time you feel like turning to this power, give me a warning? We're partners, so don't hold it in." She then gave him a quick salute before swinging away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, Marinette is a walking faunt of good luck! If Lila wasn't such a bitch, she'd be able to benefit from knowing such a wonderful person herself.


	5. Unlucky Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila messes things up for herself, duh.=^-^=

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the very end of the chapter is a short blurb regarding what happened to Lila. I have been told it is dark, so I figured I should warn you now. There is another warning message right before it.

As luck would have it, Lila returned to school the very next day. Marinette was happy she decided to go ahead and bring it in. She was determined to make a new one every few days just to make sure it was fresh. As usual all the girls were around Lila though it didn't look like the typical fawning session. She held her gift securely in both hands as she approached. "Marinette?"

She turned to Adrien who was looking at her with a questioning expression. "Good morning, Adrien... Sorry, but I need to fix something real quick."

"I know you set her up!" Both of them turned to the scene with the girls. "Alya was holding up the crumpled sketch from before and glaring daggers at Lila. "I can't believe I ever trusted you!"

"What's wrong, Alya?" Rose asked looking as confused as the others.

"This design Lila claimed to have done, was stolen out of Marinette's sketch book! The torn edge matches perfectly to a missing page!" She then slammed her hands on the desk with more fury. "And Marinette knew didn't she? That's why she said she drew a better one. It's because she was trying not to let you get to her. You knew something like that would happen!" She continued to accuse. "I don't understand why you would do that? Was it because she was the only one to call you out on your lies?" Alya pulled out her phone. "And yes, I finally did some fact checking on some of your stories-"

"Excuse me, Alya." Marinette made her way through and placed the box in front of the pale Italian.

"Marinette?" Several of the girls questioned in unison. By this point most of them were standing beside Alya instead of Lila.

Marinette took a breath before putting on the most sincere smile she could and opening the box. It contained a small cake with Lilacs made of frosting adorning the top in a small pile. "I know you've been having a lot of bad luck lately, Lila." Lila looked down at the cake and then back at Marinette like she was crazy. "I made you this, and wish you good luck from now on." The room was quiet for several tense minutes.

"What the actual fuck?" Lila finally muttered as her fists balled on her desk. "You can take your good luck and-" Lila had grabbed the box and was preparing to throw it at Marinette before Adrien pulled her out of the way.

It was unfortunate that Ms. Bustier was coming in at that exact moment and when the box tore mid-swing, it was able to get just enough distance to make a hit. "Ms. Bustier!" Half the class called out as the cake fell from the teacher's face to the floor while leaving a trail of icing in its wake. She'd dropped her papers in shock and was now rubbing icing from her eyes. As soon she realized it was Lila who threw the cake she pointed to the door. "Lila, please go see Mr. Damocles."

"B-But I-" All the students around her were giving her disapproving expressions. "It was an accident!"

"You were going to throw it at Marinette weren't you?" Alya declared with a glare at the girl.

"W-why of course not. I was... just thinking all this for me was wasteful, that's all. I was trying to offer to share it." She tried ever so smoothly to cover her earlier impulse.

"I'm sorry, Lila, but I don't believe you." Adrien reproached as he held Marinette close. Marinette was blushing hard, but not doing anything to stop him. "Marinette was just trying to make amends with you."

"No, I really wasn't-" Lila tried again with her fake smile.

"I don't believe you either, Lila." Alya interrupted. "And from now on, I doubt I will."

"I've got some paper towels for you, Ms. Bustier." Rose exclaimed as she ran in.

"Yes, thank you, Rose. Now, Lila, please go to speak with Mr. Damocles. This is not up for debate." She ordered again in a more stern tone. Once she removed much of the icing the teacher's expression was obviously not budging.

With the lack of support from students around her, Lila had no choice but to go. She did what she could to make herself look like a victim. "I-I'm sorry... It really was an accident." She declared as she started to cry into her arm and walk out.

Adrien held Marinette even closer as the Italian walked by, but didn't seem fully aware of his actions until Nino pointed it out. "So, dude, you gonna hold Marinette all day or what?" He teased with a jab of his elbow.

Adrien was confused for a moment before realizing how tightly he was holding the girl. He loosened his grip , but didn't fully release her. "I was just... uh, trying to keep her out of Lila's way just in case." He turned to the cherry red designer. "Are you okay, Marinette?"

"Oh, I doubt she's complaining." Alya remarked as she stood by her boyfriend.

"A-Alya!" Marinette whined as she pushed herself away. She then turned to Ms. Bustier to help and change the subject. "Um, the icing and dyes used will come out in the wash easily, Ms. Bustier. I also have some wipes in my bag. I was going to give them to Lila if she accepted the cake."

"I appreciate that, Marinette." The teacher then turned to the rest of class. "Have study hall until I return, and please, don't give any teacher in nearby classes a reason to come check on you." Marinette and Rose both followed her out to help while everyone else stayed behind to 'study'.

"So, Alya, what else did Lila lie about? You mentioned fact checking after calling her out before." Alix started as she sat back on the desk.

"Yeah, to be honest, that whole thing caught me off guard." Nathaniel agreed from back in his seat. Several of the others were now in their seats, but all eyes were on Alya.

"Right, I made a list." She then went about stating every lie she remembered and looked up last night.

Nino went to sit next to Adrien as the blond listened to Alya's discoveries. Finally, Lila won't be the center of attention, and Marinette won't have to worry about her friends turning against her. "Level with me, Adrien, are you and Marinette together?"

Adrien clearly missed his meaning if his response was any indication. "Well I like spending time with her, so usually."

Nino let out a sigh. "No, dude, I mean dating. You've been spending too much time for just friends. Plus, Marinette had to fight earlier just to get out of your arms. I get you were protecting her, but your expression wasn't just protective." Nino pointed out with a grin.

Adrien raised both brows as he felt his face start to burn. "But we're just friends, Nino, really."

"Friends? Okay, let me lay it down for you. Even though girls hugging is normal, if Alya was giving the level of attention to Marinette you were these last few weeks, then I'd be questioning our relationship." He then started counting on his fingers. "You walk her home, choose to sit next to her even though the desk was fixed, you wait on her hand and foot when she gets hurt, and what about that goofy look you have when you look at her?"

Adrien's face got even redder. "There's nothing wrong with walking a girl home, and of course I'm going to try and help a friend when they're hurt."

Nino nodded. "Sure, besides, you still have a crush on Ladybug right?" The DJ was obviously placating his friend. "But I'd like to point out you haven't mentioned Ladybug once since you started spending more time with Marinette. You have no idea how often you dropped her name when we talked did you?"

"I-I did?"

Nino sighed at the response. "Of course..."

* * *

Chat Noir arrived last, as always, in their usual spot on the Eiffel Tower. "Good evening, Milady." He greeted with a strangely happy tone, even for meeting Ladybug.

"You're in a good mood tonight, Chat. Something good happen?"

He crouched on the beam and scratched his cheek. "Uh yeah, but first, were you able to fix Lila's luck?"

Ladybug gave a shrug. "I tried, but she wouldn't accept it. I can't really do any more."

Chat chuckled. "Seriously? Wow, she rejected you too? I thought she would've learned her lesson after earlier, but I guess not."

"Earlier?" Ladybug inquired.

"Yeah, you remember Marinette right? The girl Lila was targeting? Well, Marinette tried to give her a peace offering and she tried to throw it back in her face." He couldn't help but laugh. "But hit the teacher instead!" He held his stomach at remembering the incident. Ladybug watched him in minor surprise. How could he have seen that? Was he spying on her? Does Chat not go to school? She thought they were the same age. "Milady?" Chat was now looking at her curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Are you... spying on Marinette?"

"Huh!? Wh-? No, of course not, I was just trying to look out for her."

Despite the mask Ladybug did see his face growing darker. "Do you... like Marinette?" It would explain more of why he was willing to go so far for her despite not meeting more than a handful of times.

"Wha!? Not you too! Look we're just friends! I'm allowed to walk friends home, and worry about them when they get hurt, and there is nothing wrong with sitting next your friend in class! I... I just like spending time with her, that's all."

Ladybug was bewildered by the outburst, but what really got her was him claiming to spend time with her. She'd only seen him once as Marinette in the past month, and she'd been spending most of her time with... "Adrien?" Chat's speechless reaction said enough. "It's you isn't it? You've been Adrien all this time." Her own words surprised her.

"But... I... How?" Chat Noir spluttered not even able to deny it.

"I uh... I just guessed! I noticed how close Adrien and Marinette were when I went to fix Lila's luck before." She covered before looking around. "Anyway, it's late so..." She moved to swing away, but Chat took her wrist.

"Hold on, Ladybug! I just want you to know, I still love you! Nothing's changed about that." He declared so seriously it made her jealous he could.

"So you... really don't have any feelings for Marinette?"

Chat's expression flashed from shock to confliction. "I can't deny I do, Milady. Perhaps if I'd never met you I'd be confessing to her, but you had my heart the moment we met. I can't give it to anyone else. I promise you, that won't ever change." This, by far, was Chat Noir's most compelling confession, and it didn't hurt that she knew he was really her crush.

"C-Chat Noir..." In that moment, however, she forgot she was on a metal beam several stories up. With a single step back she fell with Chat Noir holding fast to her wrist still.

"Milady!" He clung to the beam with one hand while Ladybug dangled from the other. "Hold on, I've got you." With a heroic feat of strength he pulled her up before himself so that they were both laying on the beam.

"Ouch..." Ladybug muttered as she reached for her left wrist.

"Sorry, was I holding it too hard?"

"No, no, I appreciate you pulling me up. My wrist is just still sore from something I did a few weeks ago. Don't worry about it." She quickly pulled out her yo-yo and stood up. "Thank you, Chat Noir, but I need to get home." The cat hero let out a sigh as she left.

* * *

At school the next morning Marinette was greeted by a pile of gifts from the class. Her desk was completely covered in letters, candy, and even a full sized gift basket with 'I'm Sorry' written in bold letters. Adrien smiled warmly at the gestures as he watched every class member place something; well everyone but Chloe, but the fact she didn't do anything about it was gesture enough. Marinette was, of course, the last one to arrive, and completely floored by the gifts. "Wh-what are all these?"

"Exactly what it looks like, Marinette." Alya stated as she walked up and finally added her own. "I'm sorry I trusted Lila over you. I'm supposed to be your best friend, and I hope I can still call you that. If not now, then... eventually." Alya was close to tears which only made Marinette get emotional.

"It hurt... having you believe her over me."

Alya looked down. "I know."

"No you don't." Marinette shot back as a tear fell. The pit that was forming in the budding reporter's stomach was growing at her friend's words. "I never understood why you trusted her more than me when you only just met her."

"I..." Marinette saw Alya's fists clench and shake. "I'm terrible..., but if there's anything I can do to become your friend again I-"

"Just shut up, Alya." Marinette cut her off while wrapping her in a hug. "We're friends, Alya, and friends forgive each other for stupid mistakes." She pulled away and held her shoulders. "You'll have to earn my trust back, but we'll always be friends, Alya." She then looked around the room. "That goes for everyone." Though most of the class was having a hard time looking back at her, there were nervous gestures all around.

Rose was crying on Julika's shoulder with a forced smile. "T-thank y-you-u..."

Marinette smiled at the blond before turning back to the pile of gifts on her desk. "Now, what am I going to do with these?" She wondered with a sheepish chuckle.

"Good morning, class." Ms. Bustier greeted upon entering. The mood of the room wasn't lost on her and she also noticed the pile of gifts. "Before we begin I have an announcement. Marinette, since your desk is otherwise occupied, why don't you move up to the front?" She gestured to Lila's usual seat. "You as well, Adrien, since this is your assigned seat." A low murmur went around class as the two students moved to the front.

"Um, excuse me, Ms. Bustier, isn't that Lila's seat?" Alya asked with a raise of her hand. Not that she was complaining, but she knew better than to just assume things now.

"Yes, but that's part of my announcement. Lila Rossie will no longer be attending school here. Her mother came by yesterday, and according to what she told principal Damocles, she received a last minute transfer to Germany. It's unfortunate that due to circumstances regarding school integrity policy that she was not allowed to come in to say goodbye in person." The news had the whispers growing to full on gossip around the room.

Marinette looked on in surprise while Adrien wore a smirk. Ladybug couldn't fix the problem and so it fixed itself. He'd stop feeling angry about Lila now that she was moving out of France, and Marinette would be even safer from her. He turned to the girl beside him. "I know this sounds odd coming from me, but this is perfect... Huh? Did you hurt your wrist again?"

Marinette snapped out of her surprise and grabbed her bandaged wrist gently. "Uh... yeah, but it's fine. I just wasn't being careful last night..." She chuckled nervously and looked away. When she looked back Adrien was staring down at the desk looking deep in thought.

"Now then, class, we're going to start with last night's reading."

* * *

After class Alya sprang on Marinette. "Alright, girl, I've been wanting to do this for weeks, but what's the deal with you and Adrien?" She didn't even mind that said boy was still right next to her.

"Alya!" She called harshly with a blush.

Alya kept up her tease as she rested her head on her arms. "Oh come on, Marinette, you two have been practically glued together for weeks. Are you seriously not dating yet?"

"No, but my confession last night was kind of sudden. I wanted to give her more time before she decided." Adrien cut in with a soft smile at the girl sitting beside him.

"No way..." Alya's jaw dropped along with Marinette's. "He confessed to you?! You've got to give me some details, girl!"

Marinette looked at Adrien still surprised by his comment. "R-right... I uh..." She found it hard to look at him.

"What are you waiting for, Marinette? This is perfect right? You've only been crushing on him all year."  
Marinette's blush intensified at the revelation and she finally looked away. "Y-yeah well..."

"Please excuse us, Alya." Adrien took Marinette's good hand and pulled her aside. He pulled her down the hall away from the door so they wouldn't be over heard.

"A-Adrien, where are we going?"

"Please tell me I'm not dreaming, Milady." Marinette flinched at the name. "Please tell me, that the boy you always rejected me for really was me." He took both of her hands in his and looked her square in the eye. "I was serious last night, though I do find it ironic that I fell for the same girl twice without even noticing. If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up, so please tell me this is real."

"Chaton I... I was hoping I had a bit more time to figure all of this out." She let out a nervous chuckle. "And trust me, I didn't miss the irony either."

Adrien's smile grew as he reached out to cup her cheek. "So am I right in assuming I'm not being rejected again?"

"Silly kitty." She countered with a blush. "I'm not making that mistake again." She didn't even flinch when she felt his other arm wrap around her waist.

"Then with your permission, Milady, I believe this is a pur-fect time for me to kiss the girl of my dreams." She didn't say anything, and closed her eyes when he leaned in. The kiss was chorused by cheers and whistles from down the hall, though whether the couple heard them was debatable.

* * *

(This portion is extra Lila Salt, and I have been told it's a little dark. This is you're last warning.)

EXTRA: And poor miserable Lila had a marred school record that followed her to whatever school she attended. No one ever believed her, and in Germany they referred to her as "The Crying Wolf Girl". She became famous for her lies, and spent her time in the lime light being laughed at and belittled. After her fame ran dry she got a rather miraculous job following some celebrity and showering them with shallow compliments in order to get by. When they got tired of her she spent some time living in poverty since her mother refused to lend her any money since she didn't trust her anymore.

She eventually compromised and got Lila a janitorial job in a nearby school for the children of government officials. Through the years she spent there the kids learned of her history and would occasionally come to her to hear a ridiculous story or two. They would act like they believed her, but laugh behind her back. Just before she reached retirement age she had a heart attack while on the job. She was mopping the cafeteria when it hit, but when she turned to any other students and staff for help they refused to believe her and she didn't get help in time. Her funeral was attended by only a handful of people who were associated closely with her mother, and then she was cremated.

After her death her life story was immortalized by a budding young author who called their book "Lila, the Girl Who Cried Wolf: The modern true tale of a liar". The young writer won several awards for their work which added to the prestige of their already famous family. At the end of the book the author dedicates their book to Lila, the girl who inadvertently brought their parents together when she attended their school in Paris.

=^-^=

THE END!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that is that. Lila's gone and everyone lives happily ever after. Of course, I also snuck in a reveal because why not? Also, there is someone posting comments as "Lila", this is for you. While your comments were funny at first, they are getting a bit tiresome so I'm not approving any more.=^-^=

**Author's Note:**

> This is only slightly similar to my last Lila Salt story, but more amusing. Let the shenanigans begin.=^-^=


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